Lateral fire resistant file cabinet

ABSTRACT

An insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type in which the width of the cabinet is greater than its depth. The file cabinet is constructed and strengthened so as to maintain its structural integrity in the event it falls due to building collapse during a fire or the like.

United States Patent 1191 Anderson June 18, 1974 LATERAL FIRE RESISTANT FILE CABINET 2,333,511 11/1943 Bates et al. .L 312/214 X 2,750,901 6/1956 McClellan 312/214 [75] Inventorclmnce R Anderson Fmltport' 2,808,307, 10/1957 Heilman et a]. 312/214 Mlch- 2,991,140 7/1961 Anderson et a1 312/257 SK 3,056,639 10/1962 Caminker et a1. 312/257 SK [731 Asslgnee' 35 52;; Company 3,265,419 8/1966 Dumbaugh et a1. 312/257 SK [22] Filed: Nov. 6, 1972 Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam [2]] APPL NOJ 304,085 Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Kinzer, Plyer, Dorn &

McEachran [52] US. Cl. 312/214 511 Im. c1. A47b 81/00, F25d 11/00 1 T 5 Field f Search 312/214 257 M, 257 An msulated fire res1stant file cabinet of the lateral 109/53, 58, 81; 220/9 P type in which the width of the cabinet is greater than its depth. The file cabinet is constructed and strength- 5 References Cited ened so as to maintain its structural integrity in the UNITED STATES PATENTS event it falls due to building collapse during a fire or 1,525,203 2/1925 Schmitz 312/214 X like. 1,729,475 9/1929 Brainard et al. 312/257 SK 1 C1811", 11 Drawing Figures 1: Mg 19 47 4 1 I 1 1 1 i 1 7 o g I] 7 O u 1 T g g 1 1 O l C I l n IF 1 1 \\l\\ i I I! 1 gv/df a I A 57 l 1 I] #97 I u IE 1' E I I n l s a :0 i

\l 1 Ii w i 9 59 I n ll q u g: l \A I i r N I I I I1 1 t 1 IF 3? i i Z! l: R 1 g' l u l l 1 1 I 0 1 Q: l l \\L\' l w 5 a Q 42% 1 o I SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is concerned with an insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type and more specifically with such a file cabinet which is strengthened to maintain its structural integrity in the event of a fall due to building collapse during a fire or the like.

Lateral file cabinets and particularly insulated lateral file cabinets present unusual problems of structural integrity because the width of the file cabinet, and therefore the width of the opening or openings for the file drawers, is greater than the depth of the file cabinet. In a file cabinet the side walls provide most of the structural strength. In other words, the open span of a lateral file cabinet is much greater than the length of its side wall which provide its structural strength. In contrast, in an ordinary insulated file cabinet, the structural side walls are much longer than the width or span of the front opening. In addition, insulated file cabinets, in-

eluding those of the lateral type, are generally manufactured by pouring insulation through an open back,

which is then'closed by a snap-in panel. Thus, the back wall of an insulated file cabinet does not normally provide any significant amount of strength.

Therefore, an object of this invention is an insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type which is as strong and resistant to damage from falls as a standard insulated fire resistant file cabinet.

Another object is an insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type having a snap-in-back panel which fits between reinforced back stiles.

Another object is a fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type having a strengthening loop of metal near the rear of the cabinet.

Another object is a fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type which is strengthened in its base near both the front and rear thereof to absorb damage due to falls.

Another object is a fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type in which impact forces acting on the base are transferred to the walls and top of the file cabinet.

Other objects may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an insulated fire resistant file cabinet embodying the novel features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a shell for a lateral fire resistant file cabinet with some parts omitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the shell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view of the shell of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of a lateral file cabinet of this invention with some parts broken away or omitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial vertical cross-sectional view of the upper left hand comer of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial vertical cross-sectional view of the lower right hand corner of FIG. 6;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An insulated fire resistant file cabinet 15 of the lateral type embodying the novel features of this invention is shown in the drawings. While a three drawer file cabinet is shown, it should be understood that the invention is equally applicable to file cabinets with more or less drawers. The file cabinet includes a shell 17 shown in FIGS. 2 through 5. The shell 17 comprises a bottom panel 19, side panels 21 and a top panel 23 of sheet metal. The edges of the bottom and top panels are bent at right angles to form flanges 25 and 27 respectively which overlap the side panels. The front and rear edges of the side panels 21 are bent twice at right angles to form front and rear stiles 29 and 31 respectively. The front stiles are shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9. The rear stiles, one of which is shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8, each includes an edge portion reversely folded upon itself to form a channel 33.

A rear panel 37, most clearly shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 10 fits between the rear stiles 31 of the shell 17.

.The rear panel has side flanges 39 which fit into the channels 33 of the rear stiles. The rear panel also has top and bottom flanges 41 which engage somewhat Z- shaped members 43 attached to the flanges 25 and 27 of the bottom and top panels. Attached to the sides of the rear panel are anchoring members 45 which are embedded in the insulating material 47 of the file cabinet. The members are inserted in the insulating material before it hardens. The anchoring members may be formed with holes, not shown, to provide a better bond with the insulation. The insulation is reinforced by wire mesh 48.

Strengthening angles 49 and 51 are installed in the comers of the shell behind the stiles 29 and 31. These angles are welded to the top, bottom and side panels. Triangular-shaped metal plates 53 are provided in the corners immediately inside of the strengthening angles and are welded to the bottom panel. These plates will receive caster wheels if the file cabinet is to be made portable.

The shell 17 is insulated with a plaster-like material 47 which is poured to a thickness of approximately 2 inches on the inside of each panel surface. As is customary in the manufacture of insulated file cabinets, molds are inserted in the shell through the front opening 57 with one mold for each drawer compartment 59 which is desired. The plaster-like insulation is poured through the back of the shell which is positioned horizontally during the pouring operation. After the insulation 47 is poured, the back panel 37 is snapped in position between the stiles 31.

Before the insulation is poured, upright drawer track support members 63 are attached to the side panels 21 adjacent the rear of the file cabinet and front stile extensions 65 are installed adjacent the front opening 57 thereof. In order to strengthen the file cabinet, a laterally extending member 67 is positioned in the base of the cabinet and is attached to the drawer support upright members 63. Also, a laterally extending strengthening member 69 is positioned at the top of the cabinet and is connected to the top of the upright drawer track support members 63. Another laterally extending strengthening member 71 is installed in the base of the cabinet near the front opening 57 and is connected to the stile extensions 65 by plates 73 shown in FIG. 11. The support and strengthening members 63, 67, 69 and 71 are positioned so that surface portions thereof will be at the inner surface of the insulation after it has hardened. The members 63, 67 and 69 form a band of steel which reinforces the file cabinet near the rear thereof. The member 71 and the stile extensions 65 provide reinforcement adjacent the open front of the file cabinet.

The remaining parts of the insulated file cabinet shown in the drawings are standard and will not be referred to or described in this description.

The use, operation and function of this invention are as follows:

Lateral file cabinets differ from standard file cabinets in that the width of a lateral file cabinet is much greater than its depth. This is not of particular concern in uninsulated lateral file cabinets but it does present problems in the insulated fire resistant file cabinets because of their unusual construction. In an insulated fire resistant file cabinet shell, the front is essentially open and the rear is formed by a snap-in panel. In a file cabinet of this type, the structural strength is provided by the side walls. However, in an insulated fire resistant lateral file cabinet, since the width of the cabinet is much greater than its depth, the side walls by themselves will not provide adequate structural strength. This structural deficiency is especially acute if the insulated fire resistive file cabinet is intended to be capable of surviving a fall as might occur in the collapse of a building under fire conditions or if such strength is required by the fire underwriters for certain classifications. For example, in order to obtain an Underwriters Class 150 rating it is necessary that a fire resistant file cabinet withstand a drop of 30 feet.

The insulated fire resistant lateral file cabinet of this invention is strengthened in a novel manner so that it can withstand such falls without losing its structural integrity. The strengthening is obtained without interfering with the function of the file cabinet, without reducing its storage capacity and without interfering with the normal manner of insulating a shell 17 of this type, which is accomplished by pouring a liquid plaster-like insulating material through the back of the file cabinet and then snapping the cabinet rear panel in place.

The back of the file cabinet is strengthened by the rear stiles 31 which are positioned on the sides of the rear panel 37. Additionally, reinforcing angles 51 are installed behind the rear stiles and are welded to the top, side and bottom panels. The rear of the file cabinet is also strengthened by the base member 67 and top member 69 which are fastened to the upright drawer track support members 63. These members form a band or box of steel which transfers shock or forces applied to the base of the file cabinet to the sides and top of the file cabinet.

The front of the file cabinet is strengthened by the base member 71 which connects to the front stile extensions 65 by the plates 73. Strengthening angles 49 are located behind the front stiles 29. These angles are welded to the top, bottom and side panels.

Whereas, a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, it should be understood that there are modifications and changes that may be made without departing from the teachings of this invention. Therefore, the scope of this invention should be determined only by a liberal interpretation of the attached claims.

I claim:

1. An insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type in which the width of the cabinet is greater than its depth, including:

side, top and bottom panels of sheet metal connected together to form a cabinet shell having at least one compartment with an open front,

said side panels being bent at the front and rear of the shell to form front and rear stiles on each side of the shell,

a rear panel interlocking with said shell between said rear stiles,

a lining of cast insulating material applied to the inside of said panels,

upright strengthening members positioned at the corners of said shell with said strengthening members located behind said stiles and embedded in said lining near the outer surface thereof, and

laterally extending strenghtening members embedded in said lining near the bottom of the shell and positioned inwardly of the front and rear of the shell with said laterally extending strengthening members connected to front and rear upstanding members which are also embedded in said lining and located on the sides of said shell,

a laterally extending strengthening members is embedded in said lining at the top of said shell and connects to said rear upstanding members with said lateral extending strengthening member embedded in said lining near the inner surface thereof, said upright comer strengthening members are fastened to said top, bottom and side panels. 

1. An insulated fire resistant file cabinet of the lateral type in which the width of the cabinet is greater than its depth, including: side, top and bottom panels of sheet metal connected together to form a cabinet shell having at least one compartment with an open front, said side panels being bent at the front and rear of the shell to form front and rear stiles on each side of the shell, a rear panel interlocking with said shell between said rear stiles, a lining of cast insulating material applied to the inside of said panels, upright strengthening members positioned at the corners of said shell with said strengthening members located behind said stiles and embedded in said lining near the outer surface thereof, and laterally extending strenghtening members embedded in said lining near the bottom of the shell and positioned inwardly of the front and rear of the shell with said laterally extending strengthening members connected to front and rear upstanding members which are also embedded in said lining and located on the sides of said shell, a laterally extending strengthening members is embedded in said lining at the top of said shell and connects to said rear upstanding members with said lateral extending strengthening member embedded in said lining near the inner surface thereof, said upright corner strengthening members are fastened to said top, bottom and side panels. 